Table.



INVENTCR 3 HHEETSBHEET 1.

PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

TABLE.

F. H. H. MEIER.

.Z [Til APPLICATION FILED OUT. 31, 1907.

No. 877,104. v PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

' F. E. H. MEIER.

TABLE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 31, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR E mZ a L ATTORNEY i l greater convenience than has heretofore been v um'rnn s T s PATENT oEEro FEEDERIoK H. H. MEIERQOF NEW YORK, n. Y. I

TABLE. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1908.

Application filed 9 31. 1907. Serial No. 400.10

' of which the following is a specifications The invention relates to improvements in tables 'foruse at sea, and consists in the novel features and combinations of"parts. hereinafter described, and

particularly point ed'out in the claims. '1

,- The object of my invention is to' provide a tablefor use in dining-rooms and elsewhere on steamships and other vessels which with attainable may have guards or vertical boards elevated thereon above the table-top f 1 m retain the dishes and the like thereon. .20

In oarrying out my invention I provide the tabletop with a series of slots to receive and permit the vertical movement therein of a corresponding number of straight inde pendent guards or boards set on edge, and equip the table with automatic means for independently'locking said guards or boards when they are moved to their upper or operative position; The end rails or bars of the table have in their inner sides vertical grooves which afford guides a;r1d"'se .ats for" extensions or ears formed on the ends of the guards or boards, and the 11 per ends of these vertical grooves are ClOSGC over by portions of the table-top, thereby locking said extensions or cars within said grooves arid enabling said'ears to act as stops to revent the guards or boards from being pus ed upwardly to an undue extent or removed from the table.

I deem it im ortant that the guards or boards be capab e of independent elevation so that only those required for use may be ele vated, that the guards or boards be so connected with the table that they cannot be de' tached therefrom and that independent autoguard or board, so that upon the ressing or ushing upwardly of a guard or oard from below the table it will become 'firmly locked and supported. I In the employment of the table the top thereof will present a smooth or flush surface eXce t when the ship is riding on one side or ot or condition shall exist requiring the elevation of some of the guards or boards,

I and under such condition only these guards or boards actually required to be put into operation will be elevated, thereby causing t e minimum inconvenience to the persons using the table. The table-cloth will extend upon and cover areinuse. s W

"The invention will be fully understood from the detailed. descri tion hereinafter presented, reference being ad to the accompanying drawin s; in which:

Figure 1 is a bottom view, partly broken away and partly in section on line 11 of Fig; l 2, of a table constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, partly broken .away, of the same, on the dotted line 22 of Fig. 1, one'of the vertically movable guards or boards being shown in its upper operative position; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of 'the same on the dotted line 3-3 of Fi 1, and illustrates all of the guards or boar s in their lower ino erative position; Fig. 4 is a corresponding ransverse sectional view of a portion of the able and is presented to illustrate the mechanism on an enlarged scale; Fig, is a top view of a table constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention, two of the uards or boards being indicated in their elevated operative position; and,Fig. 6 is a transverse section, on an en l arged scale and partly broken away, of the same, and illustrating all of the guards o1 boards in their elevated or operative position.

lnthe drawings, 10 designates the top of the table, 11 the legsor supports therefor, and 1 2 the independent guards or boards adapted to rest, in their lower position shown in" Fig. 3 or be secured in their upper operative position illustrated in Fig. 6. The top ofthe table is formed with a series of vertical longitudinalslots14 ada ted to snugly receive the boards or gua'r s 12, there referably being four of these slots, one a jacent to each edge of the table and two near the middle the tab e may be provided with any desired number of the slots 14 and guards or boards 12 in accordance with its size.

The top of the table is secured upon end rails or bars 15 which are formed with grooves 16 adapted to reoeiveears 17 projecting from and integral with the "lower portions of the ends of the guards or boards 12, as illustrated more clearly in Fig. 2. The grooves 16 are the guards when the latter portionthereo'l. Obviously, however,

of sufiicient vertical length to from their lowerposition shown in Fig. 3 to their upper position shown Fig. When the guards 12 are in their lower position the ears 17 thereof seat upon the bars 15 at the lower ends of the grooves 16, whereat seats 18 are formed to actfas supports for said liars when the latter vare win their lower position.

The upper ends of the grooves 16 extend through the' uppenedges of the bars. or rails 15 butare closed overby portions of the top of the table, and hence, as shown in Fig; 21,

tithe-upper edges of the ears17 may operate as stops, when the, guards 12 are; elevated,,to arrest said "guards and prevent their complete detachment from thehtable.

' When the guards or hoards 12 in their 1 lower position their upper edges are" flush with the top of the table, the upper portions ofsaid guards being within andfilling the slots 14 formed in thetop of the table, While their lower edges; atgtheir ends, are held in the groovesllfi and rest upon the seats 18..

During the vertical'movement' of the guards 12 the sides of the grooves l6 and, the facing sides of the slots l4fguide and maintain said.

guards in vertical position;

. It is In purpose that the guard hoards 12 shall 'be elevated by being pressed'upwardly from the lower side of the tabletop and be automatically locked and supported wlienarriving at their upper or operative'position, and to this endl secure upon the lower side of the table-to and at one side'o feach of the f slots 1 1 spring atchbolts 19 and at the other side of said slots keepers 2O torecei-ve the projected ends .ofsaid bolts when the'latte'r are freed to enter said keepers. One of the latch-bolts 19 is shown in detail iii Fig. 4,

said bolts being of ordinary constructionex- .cept that they areequi ped with springs 21 A which act to thrustVthe olts from their casings and into the keepe1s20. 'I will preferably connect the latch-bolts for each guardboard 12 by, means of a handle-bar 22, so

that all of the boltsfor one'guardhoard may iberetracted' at one time. "Theguard hoards apert re%"23 (Figsrfl and 6) wh ch;when said boards are mutheirelevated position,

12 adjacent: to their loweredg'esand inave rti calline with thelatch-bol-ts areiformed with pass into lineiwith" theholts 19" and keepers -20 andpermittthe' springs 21 to drive the said bolts across the vertical pathoi saidi boards ,and into' saidpheepers, said bolts passing through the apertures 23 and into the keepers 20, as shown in Fig. 6, where i they operate toysupport the boards 12 in vtheir e 'va'ted position and are themselves supported from the bottom of the table top through the medium of the, casings for the bolts and the keepers20. The bolts for the two outer boards 12 after passing through the apertures '23: therein enter sockets. 30 t g permit of the 7 formed in the sides 31 of the table, as shown vertical movement of the guards or boards 12 i in Figs. 3 and 6, said sockets serving-as keepers for the outer ends of the bolts.

f Each guardsboard 12 becomes automaticallylocked in its upper position when pushed upwardly to the full extent permitted by the cars 17 which as" hereinl) efore explained," limit the upward movement of said boards and prevent their completedetachment from the table. 1 W'hen'it is desired that the guardboards 12 sliiallhe restored to their-lower p'o sition, the attendantwillWithdraw the latchboltsfrom t hekeepers 20 and apertures 23 and perinitsaidboards either to automatic-- ally descend or to he pushed downwardlvuntil ,their up or edges are flush with the top of the tabs and their lower edges reach the seats 18. The s ring-bolts 19 maintain, at their outer ends, a constant pressure against the faces the looards' 12 prepar fatory to passingfthrou 'h the apertures 23 thereof when the boards are elevated, and for the purpose of preventing the ends of the boltsufrom unduly wearing against the surfaces of the wooden hoards 12,;1 provide the ment of the latter and also reinforce the en- 1 tering edges of the apertures 23.

y The tahle of niy-inventioncomprises therefore ,atahle-topihaving a series of vertical slots extending lengthwise oilit, axseries of vertically movable independent guard-ho arcls adapted to said slots, means concealed below said top for supporting saidboards when they are in their lowerposition and guiding them during their movements, means for limiting the upward movement of theboards',

and independent locking means for securing thewrejspective guard-boards when they are elevated. g

In the employment of the table any one or more of the guard-boardsmaybe elevated in accordance with such conditions as may-exist. If aship' should be riding on its side or in a tilted position, it would not be necessary to to elevate J theguard-boards at thezhigh 'edge orside oi the table, andthis'is a feature of considerable convenience to persons sitting at that side of the table; The tablecloth Willextend uponandcover the guard-boards both when'the latter are elevated as well as when they? are depressed/Who cloth hein What-I claim as in invention and desire to secure 'b' Lettersatent, is:

1. A tahe having in its top a series of slots and inits frame below said top a corres onding'series ofgrooves, whose upper on s are rec closed, eonibinedwith ase'ries of vertically portions of their ends in said .grooves, and independent automatic locking means for secur ng the res ective guardas set forth.

1 0 mg series of ooves whose upper en .i closed, combi n ed with aseries of vertically ymovableindependent guard-boards in said boards when they are elevate substantially A table havin in its topa series of slots and in its frame be ow said top acorres ond are movable independent guard-boards in said slots and having portions of their ends in said of the tab arm n keepers-for sai bolts at the other side of said "slots, said guard-boards having a erture's in them through which, whensaid oards are elevated, said-bolts pass to enter said keepers rel-a1; Y

closed, combined with a series of vertically- 3. A-table having in its top-aseries of slots 'and inits frame below said top a'corres 0nding series of grooves, whose upper on s are movable independent guard-boards in said slots and having portions of their ends in said.

o'oves, and means for independently securmg the respective guard-board's in their-ele- ,vated position; substantially as set forth.

4, A table having in its top a series of slots, combined with a seriesof vertically movable grooves s' ring-bolts secured to the bottom. 'at'one side of said slots and a'nd support-said boardsj substantially asset independent guard-boards adapted to said slots, means concealed below said top for v supportingsaid boards when they are in their lower position and them during their movements, means for limiting the up- 'ward movement .ofsaid boards, and independent automatic lockin means for secur- 111g the res ective guardcards-when they are elevated substantially as set forth. f

' 5, vA table having in its top'a series of slots, combined-with a series of vertically movable independent guard-Boards adapted to said slots, means concealed below said top forsupporting said boards when they are in their lower position and guiding them during their movements, means for, limiting the upward movement of saidboards, bolts secured to the bottom. of the table-top at one side of said slots and keepers for-said bolts at the other-side of said slots,'sai d guardboardsf having, a ertures in'them through which,

V ss W1tne es ARTHUR MARION, .CHAS. O. GILL.

boards are elevated, saidbolts- 

